PIYA'S ROOM
Abhay leaped in through the open window, staring at the figure lying on the bed. Piya looked even more beautiful while sleeping. In fact, she looked divine. He approached her slowly, staring at her peaceful face. He went and sat beside her, and softly stroked her hair. For a second, he felt guilty, guilty that he had allowed her into his dark world, allowed her into a relationship that had an uncertain, unknown future. But just then, he heard her give a soft sigh, and saw her turn towards him, still asleep, a small smile on her lips, as if she was having a wonderful dream. Abhay forgot all his fears, guilt and worries. He leaned forward and planted a loving kiss on her forehead. "Sleep well, my love" he whispered.
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TWO DAYS LATER:JAISWAL HOUSE
Jay stood at the balcony, leaning on the railings, his eyes on the forests that could be seen in the distance. Two nights ago, he had killed the traitor there. But, his work was still not over. He needed to find out the traitor's daughter based on the information that he had. He wondered where she was. Sighing, he turned to go inside and collided with a figure who had just entered the balcony.
It was a second before Jay realized that the figure was none other than Misha. He caught hold of her wrists and pulled her towards him to prevent her from falling backwards. Misha, caught unawares, fell on him, and he himself stumbled on to the railings, Misha on his chest, gazing at him, her curls falling on his face while he still held her wrists.. They stared at each other, not moving. Jay wanted to hold her there forever, locked near him, their faces so close together.
"What are u DOING?" Misha screamed, wrenching herself free from Jay and jumping away from him, her heart hammering.
"What?" said Jay, straightening up, looking innocent. " If I hadn't caught u, u would have fallen."
"U did that- u p-pulled me on p-purpose", Misha stammered. She knew she was accusing him wrongly, but she had to say something to calm herself down, to clear her mind. Why was he affecting her so much? Misha Jaiswal, the cool, carefree tomboy was stammering and blushing in front of this idiot?
"Whatever", said Jay, looking annoyed. " I won't bother saving u next time."
" Yeah, that is best", said Misha, turning away from him. Man, he is handsome! Shut up, Mish! She scolded herself. "Mom is calling u for breakfast", she said starting to walk. "Come inside."
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THE FOREST
"So- Maithili was turned into a vampire by Rigel? And Maithili killed him later?" asked Piya.
Today, there would be singing practice. So, those who were taking part in the dance had not gone to Kabir's house. Abhay and Piya were now in the forest. Abhay was sitting beneath a tree, while Piya was lying there, leaning on his chest,with his hands wrapped around her stomach, his chin resting on her head. He had just finished telling her all about himself.
" Yeah, that's right." Said Abhay quietly.
" And Maithili t-turned u?" Abhay's hands tightened around her stomach, and Piya sensed that this was painful for him to talk about. "so," she said, quickly changing the topic. "How come u know Chand uncle and Haseena aunty?"
Abhay- Chand was Rigel's brother. I mean, both were turned by the same vampire. While Rigel had hazy flashes of the future, Chand can feel the atmosphere and guess about the future. He reads emotions well, Chand does. Rigel could only predict futures about humans, but Chand can understand the emotions of each species." He sighed. " Chand and Haseena love each other very much. And Chand is here to protect me. But, over the years we have bonded as a true family-"
Piya(feeling afraid)- Protect u? W-why?
Abhay( with a bitter laugh)- Maithili, Piya. It all comes down to her. She is bent to enslave me, and Chand promised Rigel that he would protect-
Piya(turning around to look at him, her voice wide with fear)- Enslave u??
Abhay(stroking her face)- Yes, Piya. She intends to become the most powerful vampire, feared both in our and the human world . She has another part in the plan too, but Chand won't tell me what it is-
Piya(the fear more prominent in her voice now)- H-how?
Abhay(still with that bitter smile)- Blood, Piya. It is a vampire's strength, and also his worst weakness. We are vampires(there is disgust in his voice) and we live on blood, but it can also hypotise and enslave us. (Piya is still staring at him)- Everything about us is cursed, Piya. Whenever the blood of two vampires mixes, the weaker vampire is enslaved by the stronger one. He can only be freed when the other one is killed, or rendered fatally weak.
Piya tried to speak, but no words came out. Overhead, the clouds rumbled.It looked like it would rain any moment.
Abhay(more to himself)- And to think I painted a picture of her and kept it with myself as a reminder-
The words momentarily distracted Piya- You paint?
The playful smile returned on Abhay's face- I stopped painting long ago. But I might start again, now that I found something beautiful-
Piya was not listening. The worry had returned on her face. "U r stronger", she blurted out. " She will n-never get u!"
Abhay(with a soft smile)- Submitting also makes one weaker-
Piya(now looking really tensed as she stared up at him, looking into those mesmerizing ice-blue eyes)- U- u won't l-leave me. U w-won't let h-her-
Abhay didn't want to see her worried and fearful. He wanted to see her smile. So, he slowly moved towards her, and brushed his lips on her ears to distract her. " It's rude to stare" he whispered softly, before gently kissing her ears. He slowly looked at her, and saw that his intentions had worked. She had turned red again, and was now clutching his collars.
Piya(in a breathless voice)- I-I like being rude. Specially when it concerns u."
"Really?" Abhay brushed his index finger along her lower lip, looking right into her eyes. He neared her face. " Then u need to be punished for being rude, what say?"
He pressed his lips to hers,pulling her closer by the waist. Piya's hands tightened on his collars,as the kiss started to make her feel light-headed. She could feel only Abhay, and nothing else. Just then it started to rain.But they did not stop.They did not seem to get enough of each other. They both both deepened the kiss, drnking in their love for each other, trying to convey all that was unspoken. Finally, Piya pulled away ,trying to breathe, her hands still clutching his collar.
"I didn't say the punishment was over." Abhay murmured, bending down to kiss her neck. Then, he removed her wet hair to one side and kissed the back of her neck. Piya shivered, burying her face in his chest.
"Damn!!" Abhay said suddenly, looking up at the sky, as though he had only just realized it was raining. He looked at her " U'll catch a cold, Piya. Let's get u home."
Piya looked up at him, a mischievous smile playing on her lips. "No escaping me, Abhay Raichand. Now it's ur turn to be punished for bringing me in the rain." She kissed the top of his chest, which was unbuttoned, and then suddenly leaped up. " Catch me if u can." She said, starting to run.
Abhay caught her in a flash. He pulled her towards him and started to kiss her hands right upto her elbows. He then looked up at her, but she had closed her eyes, biting her lips to control the passion rising in her. She looked so beautiful in the rain, Abhay thought. A drop of rainwater slid down from her hair, down her cheeks and fell on her lips. He gently wiped it away. " I think I will continue punishing u," he said, bending his face down to meet her lips with his. " U look too hot to resist in this rain." He kissed her again, and though the rain continued, it failed to burn down the fire of love and passion burning in both of them.
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